Social Media’s Stand Against Revenge Porn

Originally Posted: Thursday, April 16th, 2015

Twitter is taking a stand against “revenge porn.” Perhaps the “Fappening” drove them to change. Or maybe the social media platform is falling in line with legislators across the country who are eagerly passing laws the punish people who engage in the act.

From Denial to Action

Twitter’s stand against revenge porn comes after a leaked internal correspondence by CEO Dick Costolo made its way to the Internet. In it, Costolo admitted:

“we [Twitter] suck at dealing with abuse and trolls on the platform and we’ve sucked at it for years.”

The Exact Twitter Revenge Porn Rule Change

So, how, exactly, did Twitter address the revenge porn problem on its platform? The site amended the “private information” and “abusive behavior” sections of its terms of service policy. Now, according to the TOS:

You may not post intimate photos or videos that were taken or distributed without the subject’s consent.

If you’re a skeptic, you may be thinking, “So what. This is all just lip service. Nothing will change.” And you’re not alone. Many people think Twitter’s announcement was simply a PR effort that won’t result in change, because “banning” revenge porn on a social media platform would ultimately result in an everlasting game of whack-a-mole.

Facebook Is Also Making Noise About Indecency Issues

Twitter isn’t the only social media platform publicly addressing the revenge porn issue in recent months. Facebook has also made changes to its use policy to read:

“You may not post intimate photos or videos that were taken or distributed without the subject’s consent.”

The ‘threats and abuse’ section of Facebook’s terms now also read:

“In addition, users may not post intimate photos or videos that were taken or distributed with the subject’s consent.”

Further Reading & Attorney Contact Information

To find out if your state has a specific revenge porn law, click here.

To set up a consultation with a lawyer that handles Internet law issues, click here.